Reflection
by hotmustache
Summary: During the few months of relative peace in which the Scouting Legion is stationed within the Stohess district, Corporal Levi decides to take Mikasa under his wing. Masks eventually lay in pieces between them, and all that's left is nothing more than a reflection. Levi x Mikasa, implied Eren x Annie and Levi x Petra. Chapter 34 AU - Heavy manga spoilers.
1. No More Blunders

**Author's note:** This story is an AU based on chapter 34 of the manga, the only difference being that Wall Rose wasn't, _ahem_, 'breached' sometime before the Scouting Legion's secret mission to unmask Annie, but only months later. Also, assume Mikasa, Eren and the rest of the trainees are all at least eighteen.

I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, Hajime Isayama does – he just won't give his characters a break lol, so I'm doing it in his stead. Also in this chapter, I'm borrowing / messing with some of the canon dialogue from page 19 of Chapter 37.

Warning: M is for _language_ and some rather interesting things that may happen later.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**No More Blunders**

In a damp underground room somewhere within the Stohess Military Police Headquarters, a young soldier named Eren laid sleeping, recovering from the battle against a titan that had taken place in the same day and managed to ruin a small section of the district. Seated on a chair next to his bed, Mikasa, his ever-present adoptive sister, moved herself closer to get a better look at him, absently reaching for her red scarf – before she remembered she had left it to dry after washing it carefully, like she always did after a battle.

Besides his well-being, something else troubled her deeply.

* * *

_When she had finally been able to find him amidst the chaos and the steam in the wake of Annie Leonhardt's defeat by his titan form, he had been thrashing in Armin's arms._

_"...off of me, Armin!" Eren growled deliriously as he struggled against the smaller boy. "Where are they taking her–"_

_In a state of semi-shock from discovering the slumbering titan inside the wall she had been perched on, Mikasa flew down as soon as the first orders to retreat reached her ears, quickly locating her two boys and disengaging her maneuver gear hooks to land closest to them._

_Armin looked like he was at his wits' end. "Eren, quiet down right now, we need to get away from here without being seen! There's already a commotion and we don't need more civilians seeing you emerge from a titan! Plus didn't you see that thing inside the wall? Oh, there you are Mikasa, help me take him away!"_

_As if in reflex, she quickly knelt in front of her adoptive brother to check for injuries, before reminding herself that she wasn't supposed to see any now that he could regenerate like a titan._

_"...How are you feeling, Eren?" She tried to steady her trembling voice._

_Eren held her hand in a vice-like grip. "Mikasa, don't let them kill her. Don't do anything to her before we know what's really going on. Promise me!"_

_Armin frowned sympathetically at Mikasa's rapidly darkening expression._

_"What?" She asked breathlessly. Scouting Legion soldiers were already converging on the three so they could take Eren away from the public eye, but he kept shouting hoarsely._

_"I know that I can talk to her... Just give her some time. I won't forgive them if they – WAIT! LET GO!" He protested as the three men carried him away. One of them gave a salute before they took their leave._

_She felt Armin's hand on her shoulder, urging her to get out of her stupor and start walking. Together they made their way to safety, both at a loss for words in that moment._

* * *

For the life of her, Mikasa couldn't understand his hesitation to confront Annie in that underground passage earlier that day and his irrational worry for her, not after everything she did. Was it because he felt they were so much alike, sharing the ability to shift into titans? Was he hoping she had an ulterior, noble motive for taking countless lives? What exactly was he trying to delude himself into?

Why was it that she still felt so miserable, even though Eren was safe and sound with her? What was it that made it hurt so much inside?

Forcing herself to stop over thinking everything, she left her chair and sat on the ground, laying her head over her arms right next to his face carefully as to not rouse him.

A few hours had passed since then. It was not the first time she'd done that – just watch over him in his sleep. He usually moved around restlessly on the bed, frowning, before he fully relaxed, but this time it was almost like he was in a coma, the way he was so still, his features so lax.

Irrational fear washed over her then, and before she could stop herself, she had knelt and laid her head on top of his chest, listening for heartbeats. The sound reminded her too vividly of the last time she had almost lost him forever. And the other time. And the other... There she was, over thinking it again.

She _really_ should stop being a crybaby when it came to Eren. Mikasa removed her head from his chest before her trembling could somehow wake him up.

She forced her breathing to settle down as she very lightly stroked away a few brown strands of hair from Eren's face. When she was sure she had calmed down enough, she lifted herself from the floor, dusted off her pants and made her way out of the damp room so she could wash up a bit, hoping Eren wouldn't wake up while she was away.

"Are you done, Mikasa Ackerman?" A bored voice sounded very close to her.

Leaning on the wall right next to the door was Corporal Levi, arms crossed, in his impeccable black suit. How long had he been waiting outside? She had probably been too distressed at the time to notice his presence.

Stifling her gasp of surprise, she saluted him exaggeratedly, lifting her head up higher so hopefully the shorter man wouldn't notice her red-rimmed eyes that had been brimming with tears just a moment before. "Sir! Yes, sir," she replied rather stiffly.

An uncomfortable moment passed as Mikasa felt the weight of his scrutiny. If he did notice her vulnerable state he paid it no mind, or at least didn't let it show on his face, what with his eternally listless expression.

"I want to have a word with you. But before that, you must see something first. Come," the Corporal finally said, removing himself from the wall and walking past her. As soon as his back was turned to Mikasa her posture relaxed, but she still hesitated for a bit before following him.

Mikasa kept a few steps behind the Corporal, an underlying tension following them through the underground corridors of the Military Police Subdivision Headquarters. To make her feel worse, at some point she came to notice the way the Corporal walked – rather slowly, compared to his usual brisk pace. While others might think he was in no hurry to reach his destination, she was painfully aware of the almost unnoticeable limp in his gait, or the careful way he moved his left leg every time he took a step. Guiltily she remembered that, in her haze to rescue Eren that time in the forest during their last mission, her insubordination had cost the Corporal an injury that meant cost him an indeterminate time away from fighting. Did Commander Erwin and the others already know who was at fault for this? Could it have to do with what the Corporal wanted to talk about with her?

Mikasa's train of thought was interrupted abruptly when they stopped before a heavy steel door guarded by two Military Police officers, who silently made way for them at the Corporal's nod of assent. Loud screeches, thumping noises and shouts emerged as soon as the door was opened to them, and for a while Mikasa could only see smoke and the faint shape of many fellow Scouting Legion soldiers. She vaguely heard Squad Leader Hanji shrieking with impatience at some poor subordinate.

She followed her superior deeper into the chamber, feeling slightly uncomfortable for not being in her full uniform around her fellow soldiers, particularly the Corporal. It couldn't be helped that she was clad in plain clothing, though, since she hadn't expected to be summoned so soon. The steel door behind them was shut with another loud bang that added to the chaos inside the room and shook her from her silly embarrassment.

As some of the smoke cleared, her eyes slowly widened at the surreal scene that was just revealed to her. She then understood exactly what was going on.

Brushing off a speck of dust from his suit, Levi casually watched Mikasa as she stared up at Annie Leonhardt's crystallized form held up in countless chains in the back of the room. All around her, men and women worked to secure or strengthen these chains, while others tried different ways to penetrate the hard shell with elaborate tools and machines. The rest that was not involved in those two activities worked to reinforce the walls with thick steel panels, sharp prongs and other strange contraptions.

They couldn't break her shell after all, so the only thing they could do was restrain her. Mikasa questioned herself about what exactly their sacrifice had amounted into.

What she felt then wasn't just impotence. Impotence was the feeling humanity shared faced with the endless threat of mindless titans, something similar to what she had experienced in Trost when she had learned of Eren's supposed demise – a mix of ineptitude, resignation and most of all _loss_.

No. Right then, bubbling inside her, was a slowly building _anger_.

Mikasa finally understood then the peculiar meaning behind the recent unmasking of Annie Leonhardt. While Eren's ability to turn into a titan was still shocked many, it was the concept of someone else actively using this power against humankind that was unthinkable, unforgivable.

Because that meant the enemies of humankind were sentient beings as much capable of treason and cruelty as other humans. Because those who lived in fear behind the walls could, from now on, somehow pinpoint who or what they were fighting against.

Didn't Eren want something, someone to direct his anger towards? There it was, in front of her, and yet–

And yet he reacted exactly the opposite way, and now Mikasa felt this _bitterness_ that was so much more difficult to hide behind her usual aloofness.

To distract herself from these feelings, she turned to her superior, opting to try to read him instead as he stared icily at what lay in front of them. She wondered exactly how he'd managed to keep his own mask of indifference up, when he had lost so much more than her just so they could get their hands on the traitor before them. No one inside these walls was free from anger and resentment, Armin had once said to her. If Levi's mask somehow cracked, would she find something similar to what she felt right then?

Feeling uncharacteristically curious, Mikasa wished she had better read his actions when they confronted Annie that time in the forest. Because she guessed that right then, in that moment, was probably the closest Corporal Levi had come to breaking down.

"The meeting is over," Levi began in a strong voice, allowing her to hear him over the commotion in the room while still giving them some privacy in their conversation. "Commander Erwin and the District Chief have come to an agreement about today's events. For now, the Scouting Legion is stuck in Stohess to babysit this fucker..." He waved his hand at Annie's slumbering form. "...Until we receive more funding from the Central Government. That's because our other sources of money have gone to shit since the _last time_." He glanced back at her apathetically. "Don't just look at me like that. You may ask me questions, you know."

Used to his crass comments, Mikasa brushed them off as slightly worse than usual bad mood. "Corporal, about Eren... What will happen to him?" Mikasa let out one of the questions that had been haunting her ever since the fight with Annie had ended.

From the look on his face, he wasn't really surprised at her question. "I assume you already know his summon to the King was canceled." At her nod, Levi spoke again. "First of all, your precious little Eren will be safe for a while, so don't worry, " he mocked. "That is, until Hanji gets her hands on him. After witnessing the multiple abilities Leonhardt displayed in her titan form, she has been too fucking eager to have Eren try them out. She is right to think that maybe if he masters these abilities, we'll have the key to breaking that shell and interrogating Leonhardt." The Corporal sighed and smoothed his short dark hair away from his brow before continuing.

"Second, despite our utter failure in the last expedition and the loss of innocent lives in the last fight, Eren managed to make himself pretty useful here in Stohess. There are many witnesses to his prowess as a titan who are on our side. Though I gotta say Leonhardt's capture wasn't exactly all his doing." Corporal Levi looked pointedly at Mikasa, which made her feel strangely uncomfortable. Did she mess up again?

"I'm saying yours and that brat Arlert's performance was good. Impressive, even." As if to illustrate his point, Levi looked around him, which prompted Mikasa to notice with some surprise how some of the Legion's soldiers who passed by stared almost reverently at her, and not just the Corporal.

"Thank you, sir." Mikasa didn't dare to recall exactly how rare it was for the Corporal to praise someone, lest she become even more disturbed by this encounter.

A minute passed with no words between them, the commotion in the chamber not much of a distraction from the literal elephant in the room chained before them. Mikasa took the time to reminisce about her fight with Annie before Levi startled her again, this time with a question of his own.

"I'm curious... what did you say to her that time?" He asked, his ice blue eyes for once locked on her almost coal-black ones.

Mikasa had a feeling she knew what he was talking about, but pretended not to know what it meant. "I'm sorry, sir?"

"That time you were standing on the wall above Leonhardt's head, and had just cut off all her fingers. That was a good move, by the way. It was rather refreshing to see a titan get scared shitless – almost makes up for having to watch everything from the sidelines. So. What did you say?"

It hadn't dawned on her until then that the Corporal had probably watched their fight, even though he was currently incapacitated – it must have been frustrating to witness all the action from afar. Her mind wandered back to that moment.

_"...Annie, fall."_ A kick between the eyes, and the female titan was falling, agonizingly slowly, and oh, how long she had wanted to do that–

Had she enjoyed it?

Mikasa turned back to stare at the impossibly hard shape encasing Annie, who had taken so much away from them in such a short time, and onto whom they could not pass immediate judgement nor get answers from, despite every single sacrifice they'd made. The one who had almost taken Eren away from her, in more ways than one.

"I said 'Rot in hell, you fucking traitor bitch,' Sir."

The Corporal snorted softly. "I see."

"So, Mikasa, I've been talking to the Commander about it, and it's been decided you'll be working directly under me during our stay in Stohess." He said casually, just like that, and turned to leave the room.

_What was that?_

"Report to me tomorrow morning at dawn and we'll go over your duties. Dismissed," he added, slowly making his way to the door.

His announcement was so sudden and unexpected that Mikasa at first didn't know what to think or how to answer him. Was the Corporal somehow giving her a chance to make up for her blunder in the forest? Or was he going to punish her for it by possibly making her life hell as his direct subordinate? In any case, it was exclusively her fault that the Legion's strongest soldier couldn't fight at the moment, so it was up to her to make it right – no matter what it took.

She hurried to follow the Corporal, struggling to find the words to reply to him.

"Sir! I understand. I'm also deeply sorry... for the last time."

"I don't know what the hell you are talking about."

"I've directly disobeyed your order and caused you an injur–"

Levi's brow twitched and he rudely interrupted her. "Look. I know why you did that. What I don't know is why you're so attached to Eren. Regardless, from now on you're going to have to control yourself. Not only for him, but for the sake of your fellow soldiers – do us a favor and get the fuck out of your small world." Resuming his pace, he opened the door so he could get out of the tumultuous room. "I do not expect another blunder from you." And with that he made his way out, not turning to see if she followed him or not.

Reaching for the door handle before it closed on her face, she hurried after the Corporal, wondering for once what would become of her, and not just Eren. She had only a short moment to gather her resolve.

It was only after the heavy doors were shut behind them and they were a good distance away from the soldiers guarding the room that she could reply with conviction.

"Yes, sir. I will make sure there won't be any."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Oh Mikasa, I almost pity her now.

Next update will be in July, and I'll try to finish this in the same month, for this story won't be long.

Reviews are appreciated and very inspirational!


	2. No More Tears

**Author's note:** A massive **THANK YOU** to everyone who reviewed, favorited or followed this story. Excuse me while I puke my feels all over you.

There was a reason I said Chapter 2 would be posted in July – the last semester of college was so brutal to me that I'm not yet done scraping my remains off the floor. But now I'm ready. Bring it on, grad school, bring it on.

Since I'm so thrilled with the reception this fic has received so far, there's a goodie in the author's notes at the end, and I suppose it concerns Levi x Eren fans just as much as Levi x Mikasa (and maybe even Erwin x Levi) fans.

On with the angst– er, show.

I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**No More Tears**

_"How's the leg?"_

_"It's better, but still pissing me off." As if to reinforce his point, Levi pressed his foot down tentatively until pain jolted through his leg, almost drawing a wince from him._

_"I see. I took the liberty of making an appointment for you with a good doctor from the district to examine your leg properly this time." Commander Erwin raised his hand as the Corporal was about to protest, cutting him off. "We _do_ have to make good use of what resources we have available while we're here in Stohess."_

_"Ah? I see no reason to waste money on something that's going to heal on its own while there's time to spare. Where will these _precious resources_ come from when the Military Police cocksuckers get fed up with us and the Royals realize we're fucking stuck in this investigation? It's a damn poor situation we're in, Commander."_

_"And we're still going to make the best out of it. We might need that leg in working order sooner than expected." He smiled fondly down at his prized soldier, impervious to his rudeness. Even after so many years of knowing him, Erwin still managed to make Levi slightly uncomfortable when he did that. _

_"Just don't overdo it, you hear?"_

* * *

Erwin could be worse than a mother hen when it came to his soldiers. Levi swore he was well on his way to a full recovery on his own, but in the end, he relented and went to the damn doctor. It turned out there was nothing to be worried about – as long as he didn't put too much pressure on his leg it would be fine. The old man had only advised him to wear bandages to better support his calf muscles and then prescribed some physiotherapy. Levi didn't look forward to that last part, though.

When he'd summoned Mikasa at the crack of dawn to assign her duties for the day, she'd probably been expecting some sort of torturous training from him. Actually, had he been uninjured she wouldn't have been that far off the mark. Instead, she was met with the task of escorting him to see the doctor, of all things.

Offhandedly, he'd told his new subordinate that the reason she'd be tagging along was so he didn't accidentally kill the old man and further ruin the Scouting Legion's reputation inside of Wall Sina. While his request was odd and she most certainly hadn't bought his excuse – just in the same way he hadn't bought her story about Annie Leonhardt the day before – of course she had jumped at the chance to get of their temporary headquarters and do something else for a change before enduring months of having nothing to else do, with no funding for new missions on the horizon.

She just hadn't needed to know the reasons why Erwin demanded Levi was always to be escorted when outside the Military Police Headquarters during their stay in Stohess. As they made their way back, a letter from the doctor stored safely in his coat pocket and Mikasa mechanically following behind him, he thought about how unnecessary it all was.

It's not like people would recognize him by his appearance when he walked through the streets – ironically, not even his new reputation as _humanity's most powerful weapon_ had reached the inner walls. Hell, before the Female Type's appearance, people didn't blink twice at Scouting Legion soldiers, who were very rare around this place. Military Police, Stationary Guard, whatever – inside Wall Sina, the safest haven there was, no one gave a shit to know which was what.

So if these people could care less about titans, why would they even bother with the things he'd done more than ten years ago?

Of course, everything had to be so fucking convenient up until the point they'd arrived in Stohess, and not one, but two titans exploded into being out of nowhere right next to the Wall Cult's stupid church. Rather mighty slap in the face of these people.

Unfortunately, the titans' appearance matching with the arrival of the Scouting Legion wasn't just a coincidence, and predictably, they were blamed for everything that had happened since then.

Which led to their current predicament, or should he say, Mikasa's. Because of her Scouting Legion uniform, she was the one being stared at and talked about by passersby in the streets during their whole round trip to the doctor. Naturally, Levi ended up sharing some of the unwanted attention.

All in all, it was shaping up to be a really shitty day.

"Hurry up, gotta head back to the headquarters before Erwin misses us too much," He said impatiently, and Mikasa's answering expression told him she'd agreed wholeheartedly.

Levi was going to miss being outside – what with this stupid task of watching over Annie Leonhardt and the titan-shifting boy, even going out to visit the freaking doctor had become a huge ordeal.

"Say, has the brat woken up yet?" He asked his silent escort following him at a short distance.

"_Eren _hasn't woken up yet, sir... At least not by the time we left to see the doctor," Mikasa replied monotonously. Did she camp out by his bed all the time or what?

While not uneventful, their return trip to the headquarters was mostly made in silence. The young woman's quiet behavior made Levi seem like he was talkative one – not that he minded, but he was still too used to what it was like before – Auruo's bitching about anything and everything, Petra's railing on him–

"Hold the gate!" A shout rose above the sound of hooves and steel chains. The gate guards were about to close the outer gateway to the complex after allowing the Corporal and his escort entrance when suddenly they had to halt the gate's descent to let a two-horse cart come through. Its rider's dark green cloak, adorned with the Legion's winged emblem, made him stand out from the officers he swiftly passed by. Once inside, he spotted his fellow Legionnaires and took no time to steer his cart in their direction, pulling on his horses' reins to stop so he could step down from his seat.

"Corporal! Just my luck to find you so soon," the man promptly saluted, removing his hood to reveal himself as Nanaba, much to Levi's surprise.

"You. Shouldn't you be taking care of other matters somewhere else?" He questioned lowly, stepping forward. That young man was supposed to be watching over the remaining trainees outside Wall Sina together with Mike, Gerger, and the others, not making an early trip to Stohess. Had something happened?

The blonde looked sheepish, speaking in hushed tones so the other officers nearby didn't overhear their conversation. "Ah, about_ that_. Mike is a bit paranoid about our current investigation so he decided not to send common messengers to report to Commander Erwin due to him not fully trusting the Military Police, so it was agreed between us that we'd take daily turns reporting back instead."

"I see." Levi motioned back to Mikasa, who had kept her distance to give the two men some privacy, so they could resume walking back to the complex's main building.

"Wait, there's something else!" Nanaba gestured to the tarp-covered cargo. "This is the stuff Mike brought back with him during his break last night when the other trainees were already asleep. He said you asked for it, so I took advantage of the trip to bring it here."

"Oh." Levi nodded. What an eerie coincidence, he thought darkly. The prospect of having to deal with this 'special' cargo worsened his mood by the second, and it wasn't very good to begin with. Though it had to be done some time, whether he liked it or not.

Perhaps feeling the change in his mood, Nanaba looked downright uncomfortable, petting one of his brown horses to will away his nervousness. "Sir, where should I unload it for you?"

On the other hand, Levi reasoned, this early delivery would keep him and a few others from getting bored too soon while they were held back in these temporary headquarters. In fact, the prospect it brought seemed almost entertaining. "Nevermind that, we'll take it from here. Go make your report, and take this to the Commander," he said, retrieving from his pocket a report from the doctor he had just visited.

"Ah, yes, sir!" Levi watched the blonde hurry inside the main office building. Mikasa walked back up to him and his new 'cargo', eyeing it in confusion.

He turned to his dark-haired subordinate. "Change of plans. Meet me at the storage unit in the back of the complex, we're going to unload and sort through these boxes for a few supplies."

"Yes, sir. But may I ask why are we doing this, when there are servants to do it?"

"It's called making good use of our resources. Bring a smaller cart with you."

Soon after that they had unloaded Nanaba's horse cart, leaving two disgruntled Military Police officers at the gate to take care of it. After Mikasa carried away the last of the big crates from the vehicle with relative ease, a feat that turned a few heads from the other men and made Levi lift an eyebrow, they finally set to work on sorting through their cargo.

He came to notice how Mikasa always seemed to concentrate fully on her tasks, speaking to him only when it was necessary and trying to busy herself as much as possible with what she had in hand. The Corporal recalled himself doing the very same thing when he was younger and didn't want waste time mulling over his problems. It used to unsettle Erwin a bit, the man had once confessed to him. Now that he was in a similar position to that of his Commander, Levi didn't know exactly what to think.

He was jolted from this musings by a loud slam caused by a heavy box lid falling to the ground. Turning his head quickly to the sound, he saw Mikasa turn her head away, a box full of what he presumed were _their_ personal belongings open in front of her.

The young woman then looked back at him, and from the way she tentatively pulled her scarf away from her face, she had been about to speak, but stopped herself abruptly. The wooden lid still vibrated on the ground from the impact of its fall.

Somehow, Levi knew she was searching his eyes for something she had tried to uncover from him since their talk the other day. Yet he was stubborn, and his ice blue gaze gave away nothing.

"Is anything the matter?" He asked stonily.

Reaching down, she gingerly replaced the box lid. "No, sir – I've just finished loading the maneuver gear supplies in the cart, as you asked."

Levi wandered over to the small cart loaded with the material they'd already sorted through and opened a small box on top of one of the big crates. Before she could ask what it was, he retrieved a faded sheet of paper stuck under the lid and handed it to her.

As she read over the written instructions, Mikasa's expression brightened considerably for someone who suddenly had a lot of work to do.

Levi sighed and sat on one of the remaining boxes scattered around the storage room floor. "Think you can have it done by the end of the day?" He asked her.

She lowered the paper to lock her dark eyes with his again before replying. "It'll be done before dinner, sir."

"Good, then. I'll take care of the rest here. You're dismissed."

She hesitated for a bit before she slowly rolled away the cart loaded with what she'd need for her next task. He followed her with his gaze until she was out of his view. When he was sure she was gone, he ran a hand through his black hair and mentally counted to ten.

Slowly rising from his seat, Levi began the emotionally draining task of sorting through the few belongings his late squad had left in their last headquarters before that fateful mission.

_With each stride of the horse that led him away from the grieving villagers, the constricting feeling in his chest threatened to rip him apart._

_"Mike," he called out to the man riding a short distance ahead of him._

_The soldier that was only second in ability to Levi himself fell into stride with him, nodding in acknowledgement._

_"I have some business to take care of. If the Commander asks for me, tell him I'll be back before we leave for the inner walls." _

* * *

_He didn't wait for Mike's reply. Pulling his green hood up over his head, he separated from the group and abruptly steered his mount into one of the narrow side streets ahead, a destination clear in his mind. Startled, the few villagers doing business there at this time of the day had to hurry out of his way lest they got trampled by his steed's brisk pace._

_When his detour was over, most of the people who had welcomed back the Scouting Legion at the gate had already dispersed. Dismounting and tethering his horse to a nearby fence, he made his way to a narrow, but looking well cared-for, two-story house close to the end of one of the streets that bordered the Wall. _

_It took about the same amount of time to gather up the courage to knock on the door as it took for him to arrive there. _

_It was an eternity before the door opened a fraction. The old woman staring back at him with piercing eyes didn't look like she lived there – she was probably a guest. Then, with a look of recognition, she backed down and opened the door the rest of the way to allow him inside the house. _

_The silence he was met with betrayed the amount of people in the humble living room – men, women and children, friends, family and neighbors, all openly staring at him with grief and confusion in their faces. It all felt suffocating._

_"Mommy, he's scary–" A child's voice was heard and a hushed reprimand quickly silenced it._

_Levi removed his hood and the small crowd parted in response, giving way to the sorry sight of Petra's mourning father. He was sitting at a wooden table in the back, comforted by an equally distraught lady._

_The same lady rose from her seat and ushered everyone else upstairs, and in less than a minute Levi and Mr. Ral were left alone in the once crowded living room._

_He stepped up to the older man, but didn't take a seat at the table._

_It was a long time before the man could manage to speak. Wiping his face from tears, he regarded the corporal with a haunted look on his face, the light in his eyes long since gone. "...Would you have married her? Just answer me this. Please."_

_The Corporal briefly imagined a life that could never be. The what ifs._

_"Probably not."_

_The man stared at him in numb stupor for a while and had just begun to shudder in anguish when Levi took the man's right hand in his own – the one clutching a wet, crumpled letter from his daughter like a lifeline. "I wouldn't, because she wouldn't ever let me," he added softly._

Wrong_. If it meant that Petra could get away from the Scouting Legion, settle down and truly live for once – he would've done it. He would. She had done too much for humanity already, it was enough, damn it–_

_"But you knew that – you knew her better than anyone in the world. You were her father."_

_The Corporal didn't let go of the calloused hand as the man howled in grief until he exhausted himself and could weep no more. Other than that, the house was silent._

_He would've made sure he'd come back to her every time, no matter the mission he took. He'd be there. For the only person he could always trust not to die so easily was himself._

* * *

Levi ran his fingers over the embroidered name on Petra's favorite jacket, and came to the sick conclusion that to this day, he had done absolutely nothing to change that belief.

Eyeing the few boxes strewn out around him one last time, he left the storage unit in search of coal oil and a tinder pistol.

Some things needed to be let go of when one learned to only look forward.

* * *

**Author's note:** There we go. I'm sorry about the lack of interaction between Levi and Mikasa. I've decided to include some implied Levi x Petra in this, so this chapter was a necessary evil and boy, was it a bitch to write. Next chapter more than makes up for it though, I promise!

On another note, isn't it a good time to be a Shingeki no Kyojin fan? This week the anime will be entering its second arc with an epic new opening (Jiyuu no Tsubasa - the single is out, so go listen to it right now), chapter 47 of the manga has been released and it's mindfuckingly awesome, and new pairings are popping up here and there in the fandom. I wish there was more Levi x Mikasa, Eren x Annie, Armin x Annie and Jean x Mikasa love, though. C'mon writers, don't be shy...

Now for the promised goodie! I'm not sure if this has been posted on tumblr or the wiki already, but here goes...

You know the Shingeki no Kyojin _Inside Kou_ databook? Open it to page 50, Levi's character info (There's a link to it in my profile). You'll see a relationship chart (人間関係 ningen kankei, or human relations). Here's what it says:

**Levi - Erwin **

信頼 (shinrai) = reliance / trust / faith.

**Levi - Eren **

**Levi - Mikasa **

気にかける (ki ni kakeru) = to be concerned about / to weigh on one's mind.

Aw, Levi _cares_. This is canon, okay? _Canon. _

(Hanji's chart shows her relationship with her pet giants. Figures.)

Before you kill me for my tardiness, Chapter 3 is halfway done (it was originally part of this chapter, but it got too long so I split it). Reviews guilt me into working faster. :)


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